Electroencephalography in Physical Activity and Fitness Research for Brain Health： A Systematic, Methodology-Focused Review
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This project is a systematic, methodology-focused review of electroencephalography (EEG) in physical activity (PA) and physical fitness (PF) research for brain health. The review will map current EEG acquisition, preprocessing, analysis, and reporting practices in studies targeting cognition, mental health, and behavior-related outcomes. It will include acute exercise studies, chronic exercise interventions, and observational PA/PF studies, while distinguishing resting-state, task-evoked, during-exercise, immediate post-exercise, and delayed post-exercise EEG assessments. The review will also evaluate how consistently key methodological elements are reported and identify where variation in research practice appears justified by paradigm constraints, such as mobile versus seated testing or during- versus post-exercise assessment. The synthesis will be qualitative and structured rather than a meta-analysis because the primary aim is to characterize methodological practice, identify reporting gaps, and highlight priorities for future harmonization.
Authors: Yanxia Chen, Jiwei Chen, Linjing Zhou, Jinming Li, Qian Yu, Zhihao Zhang, Sebastian Ludyga, SHIH-CHUN KAO, Eric Drolette, Matthew Heath, Lauren Raine, Keita Kamijo, Boris Cheval, Matthew B. Pontifex, Yu-Kai Chang, David Lubans, Cassandra J. Lowe, Wei-Peng Teo, Myrto Mavilidi, Fred Paas, Aiguo Chen, Li Hu, Fabian Herold, Charles H. Hillman, Liye Zou
Language: English
Topic: Physical Activity and Health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7153641321